Charles Lindbergh’s choice of cars

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In these days of confusion regarding the number of people visiting parades, it is good to know that on this very day in 1927, an estimated 4.5 million people made it to the streets of New York to watch Charles Lindbergh roll along in a big convertible. This was to celebrate Lindbergh’s flight in his Spirit of Saint Louis plane - the first solo aeroplane flight across the Atlantic Ocean, non-stop from New York to Paris.

It’s a number that is still unbeaten to this day and it is in fact believed that one-third of the US population of 140 million saw Lindbergh on his US tour in 1927 as the New York parade was not on its own. A quote from the man himself in an article in The Times: “People told me the New York reception would be the biggest of all, but I had no idea it was going to be so much more overwhelming than all the others… All I can say is that the welcome was wonderful, wonderful.”

This silent movie shows the parade being started with a float sporting miniature of the Spirit of Saint Louis plane, the Eiffel Tower and Statue of Liberty plus a couple of ladies, followed by a vast amount of horses and carriages and then, finally, mister Lindbergh himself in what looks to be a splendid Packard open tourer. We understand the car survived and was restored in more recent times.

We did find a few more interesting photographs of Lindbergh and his cars. He supposedly drove a La Salle himself (pictures 3 and 4), but was also seen in a much-decorated convertible when the parade took place in his native city Saint Louis (picture 5). This photograph was found on eBay (hence the watermarks) and the seller states: “This photo originated from the Richmond Heights, Missouri, the estate of direct descendent of Charles Lindbergh. It was removed from an old scrapbook by the owner. This exact image may not have been previously released to the public and may, therefore, be a unique original.” That’s surely a Lincoln, isn’t it?

Words by Jeroen Booij. Pictures charleslindbergh.com / Richard Stanley / eBay.

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